St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-08-11
POLITICAL.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
George William Curtis's Address at Il
Meeting OF the Reform League.


President George William Curtis's an
nual address on the progress of civil
service reform, from which the follow
ing extracts are made:
He claimed that it is obvious that
there is division in the administration
party and gave the president the fol-
lowing significant hint: Moreover, the
possible success of the democratic par
ty in the election of next year I'M
doubtedly depends upon its renOmina-
ton of the president, who is identified
in the public mind with the cause of
reform and it is equally beyond ques-
ton that if the president should form
ally renOunce the reform principles
that he has declared and which he
honestly cherishes, and should frankly
announce that the general political re-
construction of the civil service which
regret to say has taken place under
his administration, is due to change
of conviction upon his part in favor of
the spoils system, he would be aban-
dOned by so large body of citizens as
to bring his reelection into serious
peril.
After speaking of the almost univer-
sal prevalence of the spirit of cOrrup-
ton, he said:
1t is now possible / think to judge
correctly the course of the administra
ton in regard to reform, and l regret
to say that during the two years and
five months of it's existence while the
reform law has been respected within
its limited range, and while there are
unquestiOnable and encouraging signs
of progress, yet according to infOrma-
ton which is undoubtedly authentic,
there has been very significant
change in the civil service. In some of
the departments at Washington this is
less apparent than elsewhere. But in
survey of the whole service there has
been almost as complete a change as
was practicable, since an entirely new
force of totally inexperienced officers
would have prevented the regular
transaction of the public business.
A few figures will illustrate the scope
and significance of the changes. The
number of employees of the government
of all kinds contained in the official
register is about $4,000 or 1901 900.
OF these about Ia, 900 are included in
the classified service, which covers
about $3.50 places in the departments
in Washington, and 1862 in the postal
and customs service elsewhere, distrib-
uted among twenty eight post Offices
and eleven custom houses. Outside
the classified service all the minor
places are held at the pleasure of GER
tain superior officers, mainly pOstmas
tiers, collectors of customs and internal
revenue, surveyors, and other port
officers, marshals, district attorneys
and land officers. These are the effec-
tive agents when the service is made q
political machine, and upon them a
very large proportion of the subOrdi
nate places depend. To effect a vir-
tual clean sweep, therefore, the
change of a certain number and class
of officers only is necessary. The
number of chief officers, including
pOstmasters, collectors, land officers
and many others, is about So 900. OF
these chief officers apparently about
$4,000 or 48, 900 have been changed
and the change in these Offices implies
Il change also in all places dependent
upon them. The changes cover deaths,
designations, justitiable dismissals, and
reappOintments upon expiratiOns of
terms. OF about 2400 presidential
pOstmasters, who serve four years,
very incOnsiderable number have been
reapponted, and all but 300 or 400
have been changed. All of the 85 in
ternal revenue collectors have been
displaced, and of the III collectors
of customs 100 have been removed or
not reappOinted.
There are now 81, I57 post offices in
the United States. OF these about
24OO are filled upon the nomination of
the president, and the term of Office is
four years. The rest are filed at pleas
ure 10y the postmaster general. Of the
actual number of changes for all causes
i'll the post offices of every kind | have
seen two statements, both of which as
sumo to be authentic. One of them
states the whole number of changes to
be about AZ 900, the other about 81,
600. Whether, however, the larger or
the smaller number be more accurate,
at the same rate of change for the next
two years the entire body of pOstmas-
tiers would be with very few exceptions
politically changed, and with the post
masters all the employees dependent on
them. The result would not have been
accomplished, indeed, by a clean
sweep. Some presidential officers
might have served out their terms and
very few, as in the happy instance of
the postmaster at New York, might be |
re-appOinted. But substantially the
whole of this vast and universally diff
fused service, whose smaller offices are
the local headquarters of the admins
tratiOn party and are often given to To-
cal editors, whose newspapers are thus
subsidized by the government, would |
have undergone complete partizan
reconstruction.
Practically, | repeat, there has been
very general partisan reconstruction
of the national civil service. But while |
such a change was the unboubted de- |
sire and expectation of a large and i'm
pOrtant part of the supporters of the
president at the polls, | do not believe |
that it was desired or anticipated by |
the intelligent sentiment of the cOun-
try. If the persistent pressure of this I
demand had been resisted firmly and if |
no change had been tolerated beyond |
the equitable division between parties, |
which, although wholly indefensible |
upon sound principles of reform, might |
yet have been accepted as a permissi-
BILE compromise under very difficult |
circumstances, the reform system would |
have been so strongly entrenched in |
public approval that at the end of a
second term of the administration
which had established it no succeeding
party or president would probably
have ventured to disturb it.
In stating the fact which is the most
important in the history of reform
within the year, l confess my great
disappointment, and we must all see
with sincere regret the loss of an un-
precedented opportunity greatly to adj
vance a beneticent reform. l do not
wish to exaggerate the loss nor to